Big House ... Sustainable Materials

When we look at this picture, we see a big house. Huge. And we think about the old square footage debate. Can a house be this big and be green?

During the design of their home, the owners of this large house in Los Altos tried to save money and make sustainable choices whenever possible.

The pool is heated by solar panels. The roof is made of structurally insulated panels (SIPs).They used recycled denim insulation and the designer "built-in natural ventilation and sunshades on most of the doors, and windows with deep overhangs to temper the light and decrease heat gain in the summer."

But they also decided to include a pool house (a seemingly unnecessary addition).